Positional tracking

Conventional, tethered VR systems like the Oculus and HTC Vive require stationary devices like cameras or laser beacons to assess the 3D coordinates of the user's head and hand positions. These systems rely on external references and are thus not mobile.

Their producers will argue that immobility is no major drawback since most VR experiences currently still require large and very powerful desktop PCs to run on. They will further argue that this immobility is balanced out by the high precision and stability you'll get from a stationary system.

Cable tripping

While it may be true that the best VR experiences currently available require high computing power which in turn currently still requires large PCs, the picture is changing rapidly. Smartphones are becoming increasingly powerful allowing to run impressive VR apps while progress on the AR front is accelerating the demand for intuitive mobile input devices and controllers such as the VRfree glove.

With regards to precision we firmly disagree with the assumption that mobile 3D positioning system are by design less accurate than stationary ones. The VRfree® is living proof that an independent mobile tracking system can be just as accurate as a stationary one!

Our VRfree grab and throw demo below illustrates that a mobile setup does not come at the expense of high precision and low latency: